A car pulled from the Lipno Reservoir in the Czech Republic may finally solve one of Austria’s longest-running missing persons mysteries. Divers discovered human remains inside a vehicle matching the registration of two Austrians, Maximilian Baumgartner and Andreas Leitner, who vanished in 2015. Authorities are now conducting forensic tests to confirm the identities and determine what happened that night.
The discovery of a car collision in the Czech Republic may be a watershed moment in Austria’s long-running missing person case. Police divers discovered a car wreck with human remains in the Lipno Reservoir.
The human remains’ identities have yet to be determined firmly. However, the car’s number plate number points to a missing person case from ten years ago.
Authorities confirmed on Wednesday that the vehicle in question had an Austrian registration plate and had been searched for years. According to a police spokesman, the discovery may be linked to the case of two people who have subsequently been reported missing. “We will investigate and verify everything,” the woman said.
Spectacular turnaround in Austria: Max and Andreas missing for ten years
According to consistent Austrian media reports, the car is presumably the car of two missing young men from Austria. Whether the human remains found inside are actually those of the two missing men remains unclear.
The search for Maximilian Baumgartner and Andreas Leitner is still active on the website of the Austrian Federal Criminal Police Office. According to the report, there has been no trace of the two men, both from Zwettl an der Rodl in Upper Austria, since September 12, 2015.
According to further media reports, the two met with two other friends to play cards on that fateful evening. While the two friends said their goodbyes late in the evening, Max and Andreas remained alone.
What happened next was a mystery for years. A broadcast on the ZDF programme “Aktenzeichen XY” was also unsuccessful. It could not be ruled out that the two young men had continued on to the Czech border region. Since then, there has been no trace of either of them or the car.
Soldiers discovered wreckage at sea
The newly discovered car was pulled onto the shore with a winch. Soldiers on an exercise at the lake had provided the first clue about the wreck.
The site is only about 20 metres from a ferry dock in the municipality of Černá v Pošumaví. Due to a lack of precipitation, the water level at Lake Lipno in South Bohemia is currently extremely low.
Even buildings from long-sunken settlements are resurfacing. With an area of 48.7 square kilometers, the South Bohemian reservoir is the largest in the Czech Republic. In summer, it attracts many holidaymakers from home and abroad.
Another missing person case in Austria has perplexed investigators for years. Jennifer Scharinger, who was 21 at the time, is still unaccounted for. Police recently released a photograph of the young woman.
This week, there was increased interest in the case of the missing Rebecca Reusch from Berlin. Emergency services looked for the student’s body.
